Secret Valentine
by Cordy Echelon
Summary: Kradam: Ever since Kris came out to his parents, his life has been miserable.  But he's cheered up by random gifts from a secret admirer...who wants to meet...on Valentine's Day.  Should he meet the mysterious stranger?


It had started out innocently enough. Kris would occasionally find a red rose or a box of candies or a heart cut out of red and pink construction paper taped to the front of his locker. All the gifts were accompanied by a single, ambiguous note: "Always remember that you are loved, Your Secret Admirer." The little gifts made him happy. Ever since he had come out to his parents, his home life had not been very good. His father refused to speak to him and his mother couldn't even look him in the eyes. He had expected them to be a little upset, but this was ridiculous. He was still the same boy that they had raised. They just knew him a little better. He had tried to explain this to them, but they refused to listen. The gifts from his secret admirer had started shortly after that. Kris suspected it to be someone close to him, because he got them when he was feeling his worst. On days when he couldn't find the motivation to smile, the notes made him happier than he had been in months.

Today, however, the gift was a little over the top.

"Oh. My. God," Kris said to his best friend, Adam, when they saw his locker. Roses were taped to every inch. A little bear clutching a heart sat on the ground and a large, heart shaped note sat in the middle. "What the heck?"

"Loverboy's picked up his game," Adam admired. "Maybe he's tired of waiting for you to find him."

Kris blushed. "You don't know it's a boy," he muttered. Granted, the whole school knew he was gay. News traveled fast in a small town. Being a predominantly Christian town, the news that someone was gay other than Adam (who didn't count because he was from out of state originally) had traveled particularly fast. The admirer was most likely a boy, but he was obviously a boy who hadn't come out yet. Adam and Kris were the only out boys in the entire town, and it couldn't be Adam. Kris had been flirting with him for years, trying to gain his affections, but Adam never seemed to notice. Sometimes, he would imagine that it was Adam who was giving him the gifts, but he knew that was impossible. If Adam felt anything for him, he would have just said it.

"Oh, please," Adam rolled his eyes. "It's obviously a boy. Girls wouldn't go to all this trouble to get their man. They'd just wear skimpier clothes and flash their boobs around. No, this is obviously the work of a man."

Kris blushed. He had tried the skimpier clothes thing to get Adam. He had taken to wearing skin-tight jeans and shirts two sizes too small. Yet nothing had seemed to phase his friend. "Come on, Kris," Adam whined. "Don't just stand there. Open the note. I'm curious!"

"Fine, fine," Kris smiled at Adam and turned to the locker. He pulled the note off and opened it up.

He had started to read it silently when Adam interrupted. "Read it out loud! I want to hear."

Kris couldn't possibly say no to the boyish enthusiasm on Adam's face. "All right, all right," he said affectionately. "'Dear Kris, I hope my gifts have put a smile on your face. I only want you to be happy. You are the sweetest and kindest soul I have ever met and you have made me happy since the first day I saw you. I want you to know who I am. Maybe then, you won't be so sad all the time. I would be able to tell you every day how much you mean to me. You're very special. If you want to know who I am, meet me by the bleachers at 8pm on Valentine's Day. If you don't come, I'll understand. Hope to see you then, Your Secret Admirer.'" Kris became silent after finishing the note.

"Aww," Adam cooed. "That's awesome! And so romantic. He wants to meet on Valentine's Day."

"Do you think I should go?" Kris asked quietly, still staring at the note.

"I don't know," Adam replied. "Do you want to know who it is? That might kill the mystery. What if they're, like, super-ugly or something."

"Anyone who does something like this for me is the most beautiful person on the planet." Kris smiled and leaned down to pick up the bear. He may be in love with his best friend, but he was falling hard for his secret admirer too. Someone had obviously gone out of their way to make Kris feel better about himself. Maybe if he met this guy, then he could finally get over Adam. "I'm gonna go," he said as he put in his locker combination.

*******************

It was Monday night: Valentine's Night. Kris was excited to finally meet the guy who had been sending him messages for the past few months. He was dressed in his best plaid shirt and had styled his hair to messy perfection. He stopped at the store on his way to the school bleachers. He wanted to give his secret admirer a thank-you gift for being so kind to him. He ended up choosing a little heart-shaped pink box that had "True Love" written across the top. He also bought a few chocolates to fill it with. Once his present was set, he drove quickly to meet his admirer.

When he got to the bleachers, no one was there. Kris walked over to the middle section and sat down to wait. He didn't have to wait very long. After about five minutes had passed, he heard a car pulling into the parking lot. He sat up in anticipation of the meeting. He couldn't see the parking lot from where he was sitting, so his impatience was heightened. Finally, he saw a figure turn the corner and begin to walk towards him. His heart began to race as he stood up in greeting. When the figure came into view, Kris sat right back down.

"Hey, Kris," Adam said.

"Adam," Kris said shocked. "It was you the whole time?"

Adam sat down next to Kris, facing him. "I'm sorry for not telling you that it was me sooner. I just wanted to make you happy."

"Are you saying you didn't mean it?" Kris's voice cracked as his world came tumbling down. He had always wanted his admirer to be Kris, but now it sounded as if Adam had only done it to cheer him up. He didn't really love Kris; he was just a good friend.

"No, of course not. I meant every word. You're the best part of my life."

"Then why didn't you just tell me?" Kris whispered.

Adam looked away onto the football field in front of them. "I wasn't sure that you felt the same way. I couldn't bear to lose you as a friend."

Kris beamed. He couldn't believe his love for Adam was reciprocated. It was the best day of his life. He reached over to Adam and grabbed his hand. He intertwined it with his own. "Do you wanna know something funny?" he asked.

Adam smiled and nodded.

"I've been in love with you since I met you. Only, with this whole secret admirer thing, I was so mixed up. I was falling in love with this nameless person while still being just as in love with you. Thank goodness you're one and the same. I would have gone crazy if I had to pick." He smiled up at Adam warmly.

"You love me?" Adam asked quietly.

"Completely," Kris answered. "Do you love me?"

Adam smiled wide. "More than anything. I've loved you since the day I laid eyes on you."

Kris began to laugh. "Oh man! We are such idiots. Do you know how much time we've wasted?"

"Well, we won't be wasting anymore." Adam leaned in and drew Kris into a kiss. It was Kris's first. He opened up to Adam quickly, who then proceeded to sweep Kris right off of his feet. Adam pulled away and rested his forehead against Kris's. "Happy Valentine's Day," he sighed.

"That reminds me!" Kris exclaimed. He turned around and searched for his gift. "I got something for you. I wanted to thank you for making me so happy when I was so sad." He handed Adam the box.

Adam took it and his smile grew even larger. "Aww, I love it!" he said. "'True Love'. It's perfect." He opened the lid to reveal the chocolates within. "My favorite candy, too! Thank you so much, Krissy."

"Anything for the man I love." He leaned into Adam and hugged him. Adam hugged back just as fiercely. "I only ask for one thing in return."

"Anything," Adam breathed.

"I've given you my heart. Please, take good care of it. It's very fragile."

Adam nodded against Kris's shoulder. "Of course, Kris. I'll always take care of you."

Kris believed him. He smiled into Adam's chest. "You're the best secret valentine ever."


End file.
